Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu has called for stronger child protection policies, strict enforcement of laws prohibiting child marriage and improved access to education and healthcare for vulnerable girls.
Disu warned that poverty, social pressure and cultural practices must not be used to justify denying girls their fundamental rights or limiting their opportunities to fulfil their potential.
The police chief made the call in a message delivered on his behalf at an event commemorating the girl child in Abuja on Monday. He was represented by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Logistics and Supply at the Force Headquarters, Kenechukwu Onwuemelie.
Disu said cultural traditions should not be used as barriers to girls’ development, stressing that reforming harmful practices does not mean abandoning cultural heritage. Instead, he said, positive traditions should be preserved while practices that restrict children’s rights and future prospects are eliminated.
According to him, culture should give girls a sense of identity and belonging rather than place limits on their ambitions.
The IGP also emphasised the importance of girls’ education, describing it as more than a pathway to employment. He said education enables girls to make informed decisions, build healthier families, lead institutions, challenge injustice and contribute to national development.
“Educating a girl is not simply preparing her for a job. It is preparing her to make informed decisions, raise healthier families, lead institutions, challenge injustice and transform society,” he said.
He warned that denying a girl access to education deprives society of her present contributions and the potential she could bring as a professional, innovator, community leader or agent of change.
Disu urged parents to listen to their daughters, protect their dignity and create homes where their opinions and concerns are respected. He also called on families to raise boys who respect girls and encourage girls to support one another.
He maintained that a girl’s worth should not be measured by how early she marries but by her humanity, character and potential.
The police chief further urged government institutions, traditional rulers, religious organisations, schools, community leaders and families to work together to ensure vulnerable girls receive adequate education, healthcare and other necessary support.
He said protecting the girl child required collective responsibility, with particular emphasis on strengthening existing safeguards and enforcing laws against child marriage.
Earlier, the National President of the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA), Mutiat Olufunmilola Disu, highlighted the consequences of child marriage, including the loss of childhood, interrupted education and limited opportunities for girls forced into marriage before adulthood.
She called for stronger efforts to protect children and uphold their dignity, insisting that marriage should be reserved for adults.
“Marriage is for adults, not children. Let children be children. Let girls learn, dream and grow,” she said.
Also speaking, the National Coordinator of the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), SP Onwe Ikwen, described child protection as a shared responsibility involving parents, schools, government agencies, civil society organisations and corporate partners.
Ikwen said the gathering provided an opportunity to renew commitments to ending child marriage and ensuring that every girl could learn, grow, lead and realise her potential.
She identified child marriage, abuse, exploitation, discrimination, poverty and barriers to education as persistent challenges threatening girls’ development, but expressed confidence that coordinated action could help address them.
According to her, educating a girl strengthens her family, protecting her benefits her community, and supporting her ambitions contributes to a safer and more prosperous nation.
She added that POCACOV remained committed to preventive policing, community engagement, awareness campaigns and mentorship programmes designed to promote safer communities and encourage positive choices among young people.
Ikwen also encouraged girls to believe in themselves, read widely, ask questions, seek positive influences and understand their rights.
